The 27th Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) running from January 1-11, 2016 in Palm Springs, California, announced its line-up of Premieres, New Voices/New Visions competition and Modern Masters.
“I am thrilled at the breadth and depth of this year’s program,” said Festival Artistic Director Helen du Toit. “While Modern Masters showcases such widely acclaimed filmmakers as as Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Barbara Kopple and Terence Davies, our New Voices/New Visions program is evidence that new masters are emerging around the world. The range of approaches is extraordinary. Highlights include Raam Reddy’s Thithi (India), which skillfully juggles myriad characters in a delightful low key comedy; Yorgos Zois’ Interruption (Greece), which challenges the audience with a complex and highly compelling narrative; and Maris Curran’s Five Nights in Maine (USA), featuring David Oyelowo’s nuanced and heartbreaking performance as a widower reconnecting with his estranged mother-in-law.”
Showcasing the diversity of international cinema, Festival premieres will include:
World premieres: 50 Days in the Desert (Luxembourg) directed by Fabrizio Maltese, Agnes (Germany/Belgium), the documentary Broadway: Beyond the Golden Age (US) featuring Alec Baldwin, Carol Channing, Dick Van Dyke, Jane Fonda and Robert Redford, The Carer (Hungary/UK), Going Going Gone (UK), Searchdog (US) and Set the Thames on Fire (UK).
North American premieres: Banat (Italy/Romania/Bulgaria/Macedonia), Death By Death (Belgium/France), A Decent Man (Switzerland), Departure (France/UK), Fly Away Solo (India/France), Interruption (Greece/Croatia), A Korean in Paris (South Korea/France), The Memory of Water (Chile/Spain/Argentina/Germany), Moor (Pakistan), On My Mother’s Side (Canada), Paradise Trips (Belgium/Croatia), Rosita (Denmark), Spy Time (Spain), Tanna (Australia/Vanuatu), Thithi (India/US/Canada), Utopians (Hong Kong) and When a Tree Falls (Spain).
U.S. premieres: 1944 (Estonia/Finland), 3000 Nights (Palestine/France/Jordan/Lebanon), Atomic Falafel (Israel/Germany/New Zealand), Belgian Rhapsody (Belgium), Beyond My Grandfather Allende (Chile/Mexico), Born to Dance (New Zealand), Closet Monster (Canada), Enclave (Serbia/Germany), The Endless River (South Africa/France), Endorphine (Canada), Exotica, Erotica, Etc. (France), Fire Song (Canada), Five Nights in Maine (US), A Heavy Heart (Germany), Home Care (Czech Republic/Slovakia), Let Them Come (Algeria/France), My Big Night (Spain), My Internship in Canada (Canada), The Other Side (Italy/France), Our Everyday Life (Bosnia, Herzegovina/Slovenia/Croatia), The Paradise Suite (Netherlands/Sweden/Bulgaria), Parched (India/US/UK), Parisienne (France), Sabali (Canada), Sleeping Giant (Canada), Summer Solstice (Poland/Germany), Trap (Philippines), The Violin Teacher (Brazil), Wedding Doll (Israel) and Zubaan (India).
The New Voices/New Visions competition showcases 12 US premieres from top emerging international directors marking their feature film debut at the Festival, with the additional criteria that the films selected are currently without U.S. distribution.
Films selected for this year include:
Banat (Italy/Romania/Bulgaria/Macedonia), Director Adriano Valerio
Death By Death (Belgium/France), Director Xavier Seron
Departure (UK/France), Director Andrew Steggall
Five Nights in Maine (US), Director Maris Curran and starring David Oyelowo
A Heavy Heart (Germany), Director Thomas Stuber
Home Care (Czech Republic/Slovakia), Director Slávek Horák
Interruption (Greece/Croatia), Director Yorgos Zois
Let Them Come (Algeria/France), Director Salem Brahimi
Our Everyday Life (Bosnia and Herzegovina/Slovenia/Croatia), Director Ines Tanovic
Paradise Trips (Belgium/Croatia), Director Raf Reyntjens
Sleeping Giant (Canada), Director Andrew Cividino
Thithi (India/US), Director Raam Reddy
The Modern Masters section features 10 films from international directors who set the standards for contemporary cinema. Films selected for this year include:
Cemetery Of Splendour (Thailand/UK), Director Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Dheepan (France), Director Jacques Audiard
Miss Sharon Jones! (US), Director Barbara Kopple
Mountains May Depart (China/France/Japan), Director Jia Zhangke
My Golden Days (France), Director Arnaud Desplechin
My Mother (Italy/France), Director Nanni Moretti
Our Little Sister (Japan), Director Hirokazu Kore-eda
Sunset Song (UK/Luxembourg), Director Terence Davies
Sweet Bean (Japan), Director Naomi Kawase
Women He’s Undressed (Australia), Director Gillian Armstrong
Other Festival films with notable talent and directors include:
45 Years (UK) directed by Andrew Haigh and starring Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay,
Anomalisa (US) directed by Duke Johnson and Charlie Kaufman with the voices of David Thewlis and Jennifer Jason Leigh,
Chronic (Mexico/France) starring Tim Roth,
Closet Monster (Canada) with Connor Jessup and Isabella Rossellini,
Eisenstein in Guanajuato (Netherlands/Mexico/Finland/Belgium/France) directed by Peter Greenaway, February (US/Canada) starring Kiernan Shipka and Emma Roberts,
Hello, My Name is Doris (US) starring Sally Field, Max Greenfield, Beth Behrs and Stephen Root,
Hitchcock/Truffaut (France/US) directed by Kent Jones and featuring Peter Bogdanovich, David Fincher and Richard Linklater,
The Invitation (US) starring Logan Marshall-Green and Michiel Huisman,
The Lady in the Van (UK) directed by Nicholas Hytner and starring Maggie Smith, Jim Broadbent and James Corden, (pictured above)
Louder Than Bombs (USA) starring Jesse Eisenberg, Gabriel Byrne and Isabelle Huppert,
Men & Chicken (Denmark) starring Mads Mikkelsen,
Papa (Cuba) directed by Bob Yari and starring Giovanni Ribisi, Joely Richardson and Minka Kelly,
A Perfect Day (Spain) starring Benicio del Toro, Tim Robbins and Olga Kurylenko,
The Seventh Fire (US) executive produced by Terrence Malick, Natalie Portman and Chris Eyre, and
Where to Invade Next (US) directed by Michael Moore.A Perfect Day
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Palm Springs International Film Festival Announces Complete Line-up of Premieres, New Voices/New Visions Competition and Modern Masters
The 27th Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) running from January 1-11, 2016 in Palm Springs, California, announced its line-up of Premieres, New Voices/New Visions competition and Modern Masters.
“I am thrilled at the breadth and depth of this year’s program,” said Festival Artistic Director Helen du Toit. “While Modern Masters showcases such widely acclaimed filmmakers as as Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Barbara Kopple and Terence Davies, our New Voices/New Visions program is evidence that new masters are emerging around the world. The range of approaches is extraordinary. Highlights include Raam Reddy’s Thithi (India), which skillfully juggles myriad characters in a delightful low key comedy; Yorgos Zois’ Interruption (Greece), which challenges the audience with a complex and highly compelling narrative; and Maris Curran’s Five Nights in Maine (USA), featuring David Oyelowo’s nuanced and heartbreaking performance as a widower reconnecting with his estranged mother-in-law.”
Showcasing the diversity of international cinema, Festival premieres will include:
World premieres: 50 Days in the Desert (Luxembourg) directed by Fabrizio Maltese, Agnes (Germany/Belgium), the documentary Broadway: Beyond the Golden Age (US) featuring Alec Baldwin, Carol Channing, Dick Van Dyke, Jane Fonda and Robert Redford, The Carer (Hungary/UK), Going Going Gone (UK), Searchdog (US) and Set the Thames on Fire (UK).
North American premieres: Banat (Italy/Romania/Bulgaria/Macedonia), Death By Death (Belgium/France), A Decent Man (Switzerland), Departure (France/UK), Fly Away Solo (India/France), Interruption (Greece/Croatia), A Korean in Paris (South Korea/France), The Memory of Water (Chile/Spain/Argentina/Germany), Moor (Pakistan), On My Mother’s Side (Canada), Paradise Trips (Belgium/Croatia), Rosita (Denmark), Spy Time (Spain), Tanna (Australia/Vanuatu), Thithi (India/US/Canada), Utopians (Hong Kong) and When a Tree Falls (Spain).
U.S. premieres: 1944 (Estonia/Finland), 3000 Nights (Palestine/France/Jordan/Lebanon), Atomic Falafel (Israel/Germany/New Zealand), Belgian Rhapsody (Belgium), Beyond My Grandfather Allende (Chile/Mexico), Born to Dance (New Zealand), Closet Monster (Canada), Enclave (Serbia/Germany), The Endless River (South Africa/France), Endorphine (Canada), Exotica, Erotica, Etc. (France), Fire Song (Canada), Five Nights in Maine (US), A Heavy Heart (Germany), Home Care (Czech Republic/Slovakia), Let Them Come (Algeria/France), My Big Night (Spain), My Internship in Canada (Canada), The Other Side (Italy/France), Our Everyday Life (Bosnia, Herzegovina/Slovenia/Croatia), The Paradise Suite (Netherlands/Sweden/Bulgaria), Parched (India/US/UK), Parisienne (France), Sabali (Canada), Sleeping Giant (Canada), Summer Solstice (Poland/Germany), Trap (Philippines), The Violin Teacher (Brazil), Wedding Doll (Israel) and Zubaan (India).
The New Voices/New Visions competition showcases 12 US premieres from top emerging international directors marking their feature film debut at the Festival, with the additional criteria that the films selected are currently without U.S. distribution.
Films selected for this year include:
Banat (Italy/Romania/Bulgaria/Macedonia), Director Adriano Valerio
Death By Death (Belgium/France), Director Xavier Seron
Departure (UK/France), Director Andrew Steggall
Five Nights in Maine (US), Director Maris Curran and starring David Oyelowo
A Heavy Heart (Germany), Director Thomas Stuber
Home Care (Czech Republic/Slovakia), Director Slávek Horák
Interruption (Greece/Croatia), Director Yorgos Zois
Let Them Come (Algeria/France), Director Salem Brahimi
Our Everyday Life (Bosnia and Herzegovina/Slovenia/Croatia), Director Ines Tanovic
Paradise Trips (Belgium/Croatia), Director Raf Reyntjens
Sleeping Giant (Canada), Director Andrew Cividino
Thithi (India/US), Director Raam Reddy
The Modern Masters section features 10 films from international directors who set the standards for contemporary cinema. Films selected for this year include:
Cemetery Of Splendour (Thailand/UK), Director Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Dheepan (France), Director Jacques Audiard
Miss Sharon Jones! (US), Director Barbara Kopple
Mountains May Depart (China/France/Japan), Director Jia Zhangke
My Golden Days (France), Director Arnaud Desplechin
My Mother (Italy/France), Director Nanni Moretti
Our Little Sister (Japan), Director Hirokazu Kore-eda
Sunset Song (UK/Luxembourg), Director Terence Davies
Sweet Bean (Japan), Director Naomi Kawase
Women He’s Undressed (Australia), Director Gillian Armstrong
Other Festival films with notable talent and directors include:
45 Years (UK) directed by Andrew Haigh and starring Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay,
Anomalisa (US) directed by Duke Johnson and Charlie Kaufman with the voices of David Thewlis and Jennifer Jason Leigh,
Chronic (Mexico/France) starring Tim Roth,
Closet Monster (Canada) with Connor Jessup and Isabella Rossellini,
Eisenstein in Guanajuato (Netherlands/Mexico/Finland/Belgium/France) directed by Peter Greenaway, February (US/Canada) starring Kiernan Shipka and Emma Roberts,
Hello, My Name is Doris (US) starring Sally Field, Max Greenfield, Beth Behrs and Stephen Root,
Hitchcock/Truffaut (France/US) directed by Kent Jones and featuring Peter Bogdanovich, David Fincher and Richard Linklater,
The Invitation (US) starring Logan Marshall-Green and Michiel Huisman,
The Lady in the Van (UK) directed by Nicholas Hytner and starring Maggie Smith, Jim Broadbent and James Corden, (pictured above)
Louder Than Bombs (USA) starring Jesse Eisenberg, Gabriel Byrne and Isabelle Huppert,
Men & Chicken (Denmark) starring Mads Mikkelsen,
Papa (Cuba) directed by Bob Yari and starring Giovanni Ribisi, Joely Richardson and Minka Kelly,
A Perfect Day (Spain) starring Benicio del Toro, Tim Robbins and Olga Kurylenko,
The Seventh Fire (US) executive produced by Terrence Malick, Natalie Portman and Chris Eyre, and
Where to Invade Next (US) directed by Michael Moore.
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2015 AFI European Union Film Showcase Announces Complete Lineup; Opens with A PERFECT DAY, Closes with THE TREASURE
The American Film Institute (AFI) announced the complete slate of films for the 2015 AFI European Union Film Showcase, taking place December 1–20 at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, Maryland. This year’s AFI European Union Film Showcase will open December 1 with Fernando León de Aranoa’s A PERFECT DAY (Spain), a darkly comedic portrait of aid workers attempting to provide clean water during the aftermath of the Balkan War, starring Oscar® winners Benicio Del Toro (TRAFFIC, SICARIO) and Tim Robbins (MYSTIC RIVER, THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION) alongside Olga Kurylenko (QUANTUM OF SOLACE, OBLIVION) and Mélanie Thierry (THE ZERO THEOREM).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQfqygkNMqE
The Closing Night film, THE TREASURE (Romania), directed by Corneliu Porumboiu (POLICE, ADJECTIVE; 12:08 EAST OF BUCHAREST), is a deadpan comedy of manners that premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Prix Un Certain Talent.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d56mX1P6p2U
The Showcase’s Special Presentations section includes Paolo Sorrentino’s YOUTH (Italy) starring Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel, Jane Fonda, Paul Dano and Rachel Weisz; THE LADY IN THE VAN (United Kingdom) starring Maggie Smith; Jacques Audiard’s Cannes Palme d’Or winner DHEEPAN (France); BODY (Poland) directed by Malgorzata Szumowska, winner of the Best Director prize at the 2015 Berlin International Film Festival; 45 YEARS (United Kingdom) starring Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay, winners of Best Actress and Actor at Berlin; Cannes Grand Prix Winner SON OF SAUL (Hungary); Berlin Silver Bear prize winner AFERIM! (Romania); festival favorite MY GOLDEN DAYS (France) directed by Arnaud Desplechin; Venice Film Festival premiere A WAR (Denmark) directed by Tobias Lindholm (A HIJACKING); and A ROYAL NIGHT OUT (United Kingdom) starring Sarah Gadon, Bel Powley, Emily Watson and Rupert Everett.
Other highlights include the U.S. premiere of MA MA (Spain) starring Penélope Cruz; DISORDER (France) starring Matthias Schoenaerts and Diane Kruger; THE WAIT (Italy) starring Juliette Binoche; SECOND COMING (United Kingdom) starring Idris Elba; Matteo Garrone’s TALE OF TALES (Italy) starring Salma Hayek, John C. Reilly and Vincent Cassel; KILL YOUR FRIENDS (United Kingdom) starring Nicholas Hoult, James Corden and Rosanna Arquette; and Nanni Moretti’s MIA MADRE starring John Turturro.
Among the films featured are a number of 2015 Oscar® submissions for Best Foreign Language Film, including THE HIGH SUN (Croatia); A WAR (Denmark); 1944 (Estonia); THE FENCER (Finland); SON OF SAUL (Hungary); THE SUMMER OF SANGAILE (Lithuania); BABY(A)LONE (Luxembourg); AFERIM! (Romania); and THE TREE (Slovenia). 2014 Oscar® submissions include SIMSHAR (Malta).
Complete list of U.S. premieres:
MA MA (Spain)
EVA NOVÁ (Slovakia)
THE SNAKE BROTHERS (Czech Republic)
THE MAGIC MOUNTAIN (France)
BABY(A)LONE (Luxembourg)
IMPRESSIONS OF A DROWNED MAN (Cyprus)
Complete list of East Coast premieres:
A WAR (Denmark)
THE WAIT (Italy)
YOU’RE UGLY TOO (Ireland)
(BE)LONGING (Portugal)
THE TREE (Slovenia)
SIMSHAR (Malta)
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2015 Chicago International Film Festival Reveals First 24 Films + Events incl. Cannes Winner DHEEPAN
The Chicago International Film Festival, revealed its first 24 films and several events to be featured at the 51st edition of the Festival taking place this October 15 to 29 2015. This initial lineup announcement includes the top prizewinner from the Cannes Film Festival, a look at what it takes to build one of the world’s greatest restaurants, a once-lost Sherlock Holmes film, a Guillermo del Toro-produced buddy movie, and breakout performances from Michael Caine, Cate Blanchett, and Sarah Silverman.
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Benicio Del Toro to Receive the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award at 21st Sarajevo Film Festival
Academy Award®-winning actor Benicio Del Toro will receive the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award for his extraordinary contribution to the art of film at the 21st Sarajevo Film Festival.
Previous recipients of the festival’s most prestigious award include among others Angelina Jolie, Gael Garcia Bernal, Steve Buscemi and acclaimed international award-winning directors Jafar Panahi, Mike Leigh, Béla Tarr and Danis Tanovic. The Heart of Sarajevo Award was designed by French designer and filmmaker, Agnès B, who is also a patron of the festival.
Del Toro will present Fernando León de Aranoa’s drama “A Perfect Day”, in which he has a starring role, and which recently premiered in Directors’ Fortnight at the 68th Cannes Film Festival. The film will be screened as a part of the Open Air Program, the festival’s largest screening venue, where Del Toro will also receive the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo in front of an audience of 3,000 film enthusiasts.
The acclaimed actor will also hold a master class for the participants of Talents Sarajevo, a networking and training platform for emerging film professionals from Southeast Europe and Southern Caucasus. Since it was founded in 2007, Talents Sarajevo has become the regional hub for meeting and training of aspiring film professionals.
Throughout his career, Del Toro has earned critical accolades including winning an Academy Award® for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Steven Soderbergh’s “Traffic” and an Oscar® nomination for his work in Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu’s “21 Grams.” Re-teaming with Soderbergh to star in “Che”, the biography of Che Guevera, Del Toro’s performance won him the Best Actor award at Cannes in 2008 and again the following year at the Goya Awards in Madrid, Spain.
Del Toro made his motion picture debut in John Glen’s “License to Kill” opposite Timothy Dalton’s James Bond and has earned critical acclaim for his performances ever since. In addition to winning a Best Supporting Oscar® for “Traffic,” he has also garnered a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild Award, BAFTA Awards, Berlin International Film Festival’s Silver Bear Award as well as recognition from the New York Film Critics Circle, the National Society of Film Critics, and the Chicago Film Critics Association.
Loved by audiences and critics alike, Del Toro has worked with such directors as Paul Thomas Anderson, Oliver Stone, Robert Rodriquez, Peter Weir, George Huang, Abel Ferrara, Guy Ritchie, Sean Penn, Susanne Bier, Terry Gilliam.
Del Toro can next be seen starring in Denis Villeneuve’s “Sicario” opposite Emily Blunt and Josh Brolin, which is scheduled for a September 18th, 2015 release by Lionsgate in the U.S.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQfqygkNMqE